0561006584 - ESAB ICE Technology Upgrade Kit with Unlimited License

Revolutionize Submerged Arc Welding with ESAB ICE Technology

The ESAB ICE Retrofit Kit & Unlimited License (0561006584) represents a significant leap forward in Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) technology. ICE, standing for Integrated Cold Electrode, is a patented process innovation designed to dramatically increase deposition rates while simultaneously reducing heat input. This kit is engineered to retrofit existing compatible ESAB SAW systems, transforming standard twin-wire setups into high-performance production units without the capital expenditure of purchasing entirely new heavy-duty machinery.

At the core of this technology is the introduction of a non-energized (cold) wire into the welding arc, positioned between two energized wires (in a twin-wire configuration) or fed into a single arc matrix. The physics behind this is elegant and efficient: the cold wire is melted primarily by the excess heat generated by the energized arcs. In traditional SAW, a significant portion of arc energy is dissipated into the flux or the base material as excess heat. The ICE process captures this energy to melt the third wire, thereby converting waste heat into deposited metal. This results in a deposition rate increase of up to 50% compared to conventional twin-wire submerged arc welding.

For metallurgists and welding engineers, the implications are profound. Because the deposition rate increases without a corresponding increase in arc energy, the overall heat input per unit of deposited mass is reduced. This is critical for welding high-strength steels, quenched and tempered steels, or applications requiring strict impact toughness requirements, such as offshore structures and wind towers. The reduced heat input minimizes the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and reduces distortion, leading to higher quality welds and less post-weld rework.

The kit includes the necessary hardware to adapt the welding head for cold wire delivery, along with an Unlimited License. This license unlocks the advanced control algorithms within the process controller (typically the ESAB PEK), ensuring seamless synchronization of the cold wire feed speed with the energized wires for a stable, spatter-free process. By optimizing the ratio of cold wire to energized wire, users can fine-tune the bead profile and penetration characteristics to suit specific joint designs.